Digital Commons Network^™

The Psychological And Physiological Effects Of Using A Therapy Dog In Mindfulness Training, Courtney L. Henry

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the psychological and physiological effects of adding animal-assisted therapy to a modified mindfulness-based stress reduction program (MBSR) for clients experiencing psychological distress, including anxious and depressive symptoms. State and trait mindfulness, state and trait anxiety, psychological distress, blood pressure, and heart rate were collected during each session of the intervention from college students recruited at Utah State University. Results support that participants experienced less anxiety and depressive symptoms and increased mindfulness skills from pre- to posttreatment. No significant difference was found between the control and experimental groups, indicating that that interaction with a therapy dog had no …

Food Environments: What Is The Role Of Demographics In Fijians' Decision Making Related To Food Choice And Overall Nutrition Behavior?, Sandra Bradshaw

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The people of the Islands of Fiji suffer from a growing prevalence of noncommunicable (NCD) diseases that are often nutrition related. Much of the blame for the growing rate of these diseases is due to lifestyle choice, specifically food-related decisions. Fiji’s nutrition concerns and NCD prevalence are greater in urban centers, compared to a lower frequency in rural villages. Contrasting demographics are composed of dissimilar food environments that influence inhabitants’ food decisions, in turn increasing the prevalence of nutrition-related concerns.

The purpose of this study was to extend existing knowledge and document the perspectives of Fijian Islanders through identifying the …

Growth Performance And Nutrient Metabolism Of Pasture-Finished Beef Steers And In Vitro Fermentation Characteristics Of Pasture Forages In Continuous Cultures, Cuk Tri Noviandi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A 2-year grazing study was conducted to evaluate the growth performance, ruminal fermentation, carcass characteristics, and fatty acid compositions in subcutaneous adipose tissue of beef steers grazing tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Shreb.; TF) pastures without or with N fertilization. Nitrogen fertilization increased crude protein concentration of TF pasture and average daily gain of beef steers. Increase in total volatile fatty acids (VFA) and ammonia-N (NH₃-N) concentrations were detected in steers grazing fertilized TF. In comparison with steers on feedlot, pasture-finished steers had greater proportions of cis-9, trans-11 CLA and C18:3 n-3, …

Kisspeptins - Expression, Purification, And Biological Assays, Mathew Puthayathu Kurian

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Kisspeptins are hormones involved in the onset of puberty in adolescents and maintenance of reproductive function in adults. Defects in kisspeptin signaling are associated with many reproductive disorders. Kisspeptins were originally discovered as metastasis suppressors and have been found to suppress the metastasis of certain cancers. Unfortunately, many aspects of kisspeptin action at a cellular level remain unknown. Kisspeptins, therefore, are attractive candidates for large-scale production for use as research and therapeutic reagents. We developed a simple and cost effective method to express and purify kisspeptins in large quantities. We also tested the biological activity of kisspeptins on cells expressing …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of A Hybrid Nutrition Course Offered To On-Campus And Distance Education Students, Mary Anne Dimmick

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A record high number of students enrolled in The Science and Application of Human Nutrition (NDFS 1020), during the Spring semester of 2010. With enrollment rates projected to continue to rise, NDFS 1020 faculty recognized that the existing traditional, lecture-based course structure did not allow for further growth of the program if academic integrity was to be upheld. NDFS 1020 was, consequently, transitioned to a hybrid format presenting 2/3 of the course experience online, and the remaining 1/3 in a face-to-face format. Hybrid NDFS 1020 was offered to distance education and on-campus students alike beginning in the Fall semester of …

Strategic Approaches To Develop Optimal Feeding Program Of Brown Midrib Corn Silage To Lactating Dairy Cows In The Intermountain West, Michael Shane Holt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In two lactation studies reported in this dissertation, it was hypothesized that feeding 35% brown midrib corn silage (BMRCS) and 25% alfalfa hay (dry matter basis) would result in increased dry matter intake (DMI) around peak lactation compared with feeding conventional corn silage (CCS), causing longer peak milk production, and that feeding dairy cows in early lactation a 16% crude protein diet with fair quality alfalfa hay (FAH) in BMR-based diets would maintain milk production, reduce urinary N excretion, and improve N efficiency compared to those fed high quality alfalfa hay ( …

Cationic Starch Synthesis, Development, And Evaluation For Harvesting Microalgae For Wastewater Treatment, Renil John Anthony

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Microalgae are the preferred crop for the production of biodiesel. Microalgae are microplants that have the ability to harness sunlight more efficiently than other plants and store 20-80% lipids per g of dry algae in their cells. Microalgae have the extraordinary ability to grow in brackish water or wastewater. Microalgae can be grown in municipal wastewater to uptake phosphorus and nitrogen and remediate the wastewater of these nutrients. Microalgae thus cultivated accomplishes a dual role of wastewater treatment and provides a sustainable feedstock for biofuels and other bioproducts.

This study focused on efficiently harvesting microalgae from water using modified starch. …

Causes And Consequences Of Local Variability In Aroga Websteri Clarke Abundance Over Space And Time, Virginia L.J. Bolshakova

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Sagebrush steppe habitat is rapidly declining in the Intermountain West in both quality and quantity. Observed reductions in animal and bird populations associated with sagebrush, invasion of exotic annual grasses such as cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), and other concerns with climate change have led to a growing awareness of the need to monitor and better understand the rate of habitat loss. Sagebrush lands are subject to periodic loss caused by insect feeding damage, and human activities have the potential to promote unnaturally high levels of such loss. The sagebrush defoliating Aroga moth, Aroga websteri Clarke (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), can kill …

On Mobile Detection And Localization Of Skewed Nutrition Facts Tables, Christopher Blay

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Computer Science Assistive Technology Laboratory (CSATL) at Utah State University has a long history of research in visually impaired grocery shopping tech. CSATL’s ShopMobile II introduced nutrition facts table (NFT) analysis but only with perfectly aligned and square input images.

A new method which detects and localizes NFTs more quickly and from rotated or non-square images has been released and is slated for integration with ShopMobile II to improve this feature substantially. This is great news for the estimated 3.6 million adults in the United States having visual impairment or blindness and also opens the doors to other applications …

Ecology Of Coyotes On The Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico: Implications For Elk Calf Recruitment, Suzanne J. Gifford

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Valles Caldera National Preserve (VCNP) managers were concerned about low elk recruitment observed at the same time as an apparent increase in sightings of coyotes and observations of coyote predation on elk calves. The goal of this study was to describe coyotes’ ecological interactions with elk, particularly coyote diet and movements on the Valle Grande, a large grassland meadow in the southeastern portion of the VCNP.

We examined coyote diet by quantifying undigested remains of food items in coyote scats (feces). The most frequent taxa were rodents (montane voles and pocket gophers), elk (adult and calf), insects (grasshoppers and beetles), …

Taking Culture And Philosophy Into Consideration: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Marketing Strategies In China, Yi Huang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Globalization makes the physical boundary between countries almost disappear, while on the other hand, it exacerbates cultural and philosophical differences. The overall aim of this dissertation is to dig into the philosophical values of Western and Chinese cultures to provide some theoretically sound and pragmatically useful guidance for future communication and marketing in China.

While some American corporations have been embraced by the Chinese, many more have not. This research concerns itself with searching what the leading causes are for the above phenomenon, and more specifically, this study explores answers to the following questions:

• What strategies are used for product …

A Multiday Record-Assisted Fruit, Vegetable, And Snack Questionnaire To Assess Intake Among Fourth And Fifth Grade Students, Anne B. Lambert

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Assessing FV intake among young children is difficult and can be a time-consuming, resource-intensive, and burdensome. The aim of this study was to create a simple, self-assessment tool to estimate and detect changes in FV consumption among fourth and fifth graders. Such a tool would ease the complications and resources of other diet assessment options that are used to measure FV consumption when implementing school-based nutrition programs.

The questionnaire provided a moderately valid estimate of lunchtime FV consumption, but it was inconsistent at detecting small, yet important increases in FV consumption between time points. The ability of the questionnaire to …

Winter Ecology Of Waterfowl On The Great Salt Lake, Utah, Josh L. Vest

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

I designed a suite of studies in coordination with Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) to evaluate waterfowl use of the GSL in winter and ecological aspects associated with GSL use. These studies provided insight into key information gaps previously identified by UDWR regarding management of GSL resources. Population surveys indicated total duck abundance was low when GSL surface elevations were low and wetland resources diminished because of persistent drought in the system. Also, ducks appear to use hypersaline parts of GSL more when freshwater habitats are limited from either drought or ice conditions. Common goldeneye, northern shoveler, and green-winged …

Importance Of Grass-Legume Choices On Cattle Grazing Behavior And Performance, Brody Todd Maughan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Livestock production systems have emphasized low diversity of high-producing forage species dependent upon costly fossil-fuel inputs. However, diversity of plants in natural systems is common, and diverse plant communities enable herbivores to meet needs for nutrition and health. Plants provide herbivores with nutrients and bioactive compounds – plant secondary compounds (SCs), which at appropriate concentrations can reduce internal parasites and greenhouse gas emissions, improve nutrient utilization and enhance meat quality in ruminants. In addition, SCs confer plants more resistance to environmental challenges such as drought or pests.

With my MS program, I sought to explore foraging behavior in cattle grazing …

Forage Yield And Quality Of Binary Grass-Legume Mixtures Of Tall Fescue, Orchardgrass, Meadow Brome, Alfalfa, Birdsfoot Trefoil, And Cicer Milkvetch, Steven R. Cox

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Managed pasture forms the foundation for much of the U.S. livestock iv production. Increased forage yield and quality can be achieved with nitrogen (N) fertilizer but increases the cost of pasture production. Rising prices of N have led to a return to the use of grass-legume pastures to reduce or replace commercial N fertilizer. There is a need to identify viable grass-legume mixtures and species planting ratios for the region of the Intermountain Western United States The purpose of this study was to identify grass-legume combinations and planting ratios that maximize forage production and forage quality in irrigated pastures. The …

Effect Of Silicon On Plant Growth And Drought Stress Tolerance, Kaerlek W. Janislampi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Silicone is a silicon-containing synthetic polymer. Silicon is a metalloid chemical element. Silicon is not considered an essential nutrient for plants, but it is typically abundant in soils and can be taken up in large amounts by plant roots. Silicon is known to have beneficial effects when added to the soil in which rice and several other plants are cultivated. These beneficial effects include disease and insect resistance, plant structural fortification, and regulation of the uptake of other plant nutrients. Silicic acid is the form of silicon in soils that is available to plants. In this study, the effect of …

Design And Construction Of A Tunable Light Source With Light Emitting Diodes For Photosynthetic Organisms, Nathan Phillipps

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis describes and documents the design and construction of a light source which is tunable and has the ability to mimic the spectral output of the sun in the photosynthetic active radiation range (400 - 700 nm). To adjust the spectral output at different wavelengths different types of LEDs were chosen and combined. This thesis describes the design, construction, testing, and suggestions for further improvements to this light source. The light source is comprised of 900 LEDs with 26 different peak wavelengths within the photosynthetically active radiation range. The light source is made tunable through the use of a …

Population Dynamics And Movements Of Translocated And Resident Greater Sage-Grouse On Anthro Mountain, Utah, Natasha W. Gruber

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations have declined range-wide. Species translocations have been identified as a conservation strategy to augment declining populations in restored habitats. I evaluated protocols previously used to successfully translocate greater sage-grouse in Utah by comparing annual production, survival, habitat use, integration and seasonal movements of translocated birds and their chicks to the resident population. To conduct this study, I translocated 60 greater sagegrouse hens captured and radio-collared on Parker Mountain to Anthro Mountain in the spring of 2009 and 2010. I also captured and radio-collared 19 resident hens to serve as my control group. All …

Effects Of Planting Date, Harvest Date, And Environmental Conditions On Germination Of Forage Kochia Accessions, Cody F. Creech

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Forage kochia is used to re-seed areas in harsh environments that have been infested by annual weeds or disturbed by repetitive fires. It is an introduced perennial semi-shrub that is valuable to livestock and wildlife as a forage. The seed of forage kochia is very unpredictable and successful establishment in areas of low precipitation where it is utilized has often been erratic. Forage kochia seeding failures are costly and leave the land vulnerable to further degradation and erosion. This study was conducted to investigate how germination of forage kochia is affected by different harvest and planting dates, age of seed, …

Effects Of Sodium Chloride Salting And Substitution With Potassium Chloride On Whey Expulsion Of Cheese, Ying Lu

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Heart disease and stroke are leading causes of death in America. In 2008, not only are more than 0.6 million people dying of heart disease, but it is estimated that almost 1 in every 4 Americans with heart disease die. Consuming excess salt has been associated with increasing risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks, and stroke. Americans consume 40% more salt than the USDA recommended level -- 1500 mg. Therefore, it is important to reduce the amount of salt in foods such as cheese to reduce salt consumption that may lead to heart disease.

However, simply reducing salt level …

Sigtree: An Automated Meta-Analytic Approach To Find Significant Branches In A Phylogenetic Tree, Todd R. Jones

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An experiment was performed on two groups of mice, the first group receiving a refined wheat diet, and the second group receiving a whole wheat diet. The levels of abundance of hundreds of bacteria in the guts of the mice were measured. Of interest was whether the levels of these bacteria were different depending on type of diet. In addition, it was desired to examine differences by diet in all of the families of bacteria. These family relationships are represented in a tree, and it was determined helpful to color the branches of this tree based on the differences of …

Genetic Characterization Of Fine-Leaved Festuca Valesiaca Germplasm And Evaluation Of Their Relationship To The Festuca Ovina Complex, Yingmei Ma

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Fine-leaved Festuca valesiaca has stress tolerance. However, its agronomic performance in the western United States and its genetic relationship to species of the Festuca ovina complex has not been investigated. Also, natural hybridization makes them difficult to identify. Given the species' potentials, our project was designed to identify Festuca valesiaca accessions that possess high biomass and seed yield and to examine their relatedness with the Festuca ovina complex.

The Festuca valesiaca accessions examined produced many small seeds. Seed production was correlated with the total biomass, plant height, and plant vigor. The Festuca valesiaca accessions examined were shorter than the control …

Cattle Browsing Sagebrush Steppe During Fall: Effects On Plant Community Structure And Influence Of Experience On Cattle Foraging Behavior And Body Weights, Charles A. Petersen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Historic and repetitious spring grazing by livestock, combined with altered fire regimes, has increased the density and abundance of big sagebrush and reduced the frequency of perennial grasses and forbs on many western landscapes. Periodic disturbance is critical for maintaining and improving sagebrush ecosystems. Compared with traditional disturbances – chemical, mechanical, and fire – strategic grazing with livestock offers several benefits. They include creating locally adapted cattle that can rejuvenate sagebrush steppe, which reduces costs associated with mechanical and chemical rejuvenation treatments and feeding cattle during winter, the major cost of ranch operation.

I evaluated the practicality of strategically timed …

Ensuring Microbial Safety In Food Product/Process Development: Alternative Processing Of Meat Products And Pathogen Survival In Low-Salt Cheddar Cheese, Subash Shrestha

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Most outbreaks of foodborne illness in the United States occur as a result of improper food-handling and preparation practices in homes or food establishments. The lack of food-safety knowledge is one of the several reasons for this. However, researchers also suggest that food-operators and consumers with adequate food-safety knowledge, attitudes, and intentions do not always follow the food-safety recommendations because not all recommendations are easy to put into practice. Therefore, the first part of this study sought to establish safe alternative processing of meat products that can be easily practiced by food-operators and consumers. In Chapter 3, a novel method …

Wheat-Gold Currency How To Make Large-Scale Grain Storage Possible, David L. Garrett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The United States has a National Oil Reserve but no food reserve. Just as the oil reserve is designed to buffer unforeseen disruptions in the critical supply, the nation should also have a food reserve for at least the same purpose.

Increasing The Retention Of Lipid-Soluble Components In A Curd Matrix, Megan Tippetts

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Megan Tippetts, under the direction of Dr. Silvana Martini at Utah State University, proposes to demonstrate that it is possible to increase the retention of lipid-soluble components (e.g. vitamin D) in a curd matrix (e.g. Cheddar cheese). This project was coordinated with the Western Dairy Center for the initial phase of the project.

The initial phase used vitamin D₃ fortified emulsions stabilized with a dairy-based emulsifier. The objective was to determine if vitamin D₃ delivered in an emulsion form to the milk before cheesemake would have higher retention in the cheese versus vitamin D₃ oil added directly …

Social Organization And Decision Making In North American Bison: Implications For Management, Ryan A. Shaw

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Social organization varies widely among herbivores, and the level of social organization in bison is widely debated. I hypothesized that when mother-daughter relationships are allowed to develop, bison form long-term associations. In my study, 25 treatment mothers were selected from a free-ranging herd and kept together with their calves, while 25 control females had their calves forcefully removed. Treatment mothers and offspring had by far the greatest number of associations with a greater percentage of individuals with a half weight index (HWI) > 0.50. The strongest associations (HWI > 0.31) were among treatment mothers and their offspring. Moreover, these associations persisted over …

Integration Of Nutrition Education Classes Into English As Second Language Classes For Refugees, Sarah Gunnell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Each year approximately 73,000 refugees are resettled into the United States because it is unsafe for them to return to their country of origin. Resettlement agencies help refugees learn about their new environment and provide assistance with housing, food, English classes, and job skills training. The goal of resettlement programs is to help refugees become self-sufficient as quickly as possible.

Recently resettled refugees face many challenges that make it difficult to eat healthy food. Transportation, English skills, and conflicting work hours are some of the barriers to receiving nutrition education. This research evaluated the integration of nutrition lessons into English …

Parent Nutrition Education And The Influence On Family Lifestyle Behavior Changes, Kelsey Rich

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Utah State University in the collaboration with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) proposes to develop and implement a program to help families develop healthy eating habits and lifestyle behaviors. Recently, childhood overweight and obesity has reached epidemic proportions. The diseases associated with adult obesity are now being seen in the pediatric population; therefore, there is a call for preventative efforts. A diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in combination with an active lifestyle discourages the presence of obesity. Currently, most childhood obesity prevention efforts have taken place in the school setting and have only had short term …

Livestock Foraging Behavior In Response To Sequence And Interactions Among Alkaloids, Tannins, And Saponins, Tiffanny L. Jensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

During the past several decades, people worldwide have expressed a growing interest in reconstructing ecosystems to enhance ecological, economic, and social values. Yet, to do so we must find ways to enhance biodiversity, environmental quality and the sustainability of grazing lands. In all these instances, plants are the glue that binds soils, water, herbivores, and people. However, monocultures or simple grass-legume mixtures are not always ideal for intensively managed pastures due to their seasonality, susceptibility to pests, and monotony of plant nutrients and toxins. All plants contain so-called “toxins,” more appropriately referred to as secondary compounds, which are crucial in …